Saturday Morning Legal Wake Up Call

John Edwards- Jerk or Criminal?

My mother used to call me saturday mornings and say "this is your Saturday morning wake up call." So I am calling all today's media frenzy over Edwards' issue the Saturday morning legal wake up call.

Is the Edwards indictment personal, political or neutrally legal? And what does it portend for future politicos. Is it a stretch beyond the pallatable or a slam dunk? He admits he did wrong, he might even admit he was a thoughtless selfish bast***. But does that make his skullduggery FELONIOUS?

I find him actually on the sexual ethics front much more sympathetic than Bill Clinton. Afterall, this was one woman he was involved with over a long period of time, clearly mutual, and he fathered a child- did not compel an abortion (not saying Clinton did) but took full responsibility for the child. He got himself caught between a Rielle and a hard place.

Whether or not he was running for office, if he was still a sitting Senator and this happened with no reelection campaign going, he likely would have tried to take care of the child in the same manner and paid for the mother's medical - and tried to do it in a way from benefactor third parties without his wife being able to discover it from their common household funds. So the campaign image rational seems feeble and insupportable. Having rich friends who want to help is not a crime. Taking 200k from his campaign director or a fund related to the campaign is a different ball of wax if there was truly some misappropriation going on.

And what of the larger precedent? What if a barber wants to give him a free haircut to help promote his salon-does he have to report that as a campaign contribution? What if someone wants to take him on an expensive yaught for two days to shoot photos of him for his image which would cost the ordinary schlub a thousand dollars for the trip, is that a campaign contribution he has to report? What if one of his kids got in trouble-say DUI arrested- and some lawyer offered for free because he loved the family to represent the kid-which is necessary for maintaining his political image- is that a campaign contribution? Paying to provide housing and medical for a mistress and for child care related expenses seems a stretch to call it a campaign expense. And if it can be viewed as both a campaign expense and a personal one- which percent are we looking at for each or is necessary to have it fall under the campaign finance laws?

He didn't rape or assault anyone. He fell in love. So sue him- don't lock him up.
I say that as someone almost bitterly disappointed that he didn't put his money where his mouth was in fighting the 2004 election fraud after devoting so much of my time to his issues on that campaign. I don't much like him anymore after watching how Mrs. Edwards had to cope with this betrayal of her heart after giving her life to this man. But a Felon, I don't think so. I think this will turn out to be more scandalizing of the Justice Department actually. They would rather prosecute a guy who chose not to coerce an abortion after an affair than go after any Bush-Cheney Torturer?? REALLY???